Morocco U23s lose final warm-up before November Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Morocco U23s have had their final friendly before November’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers cancelled after Tanzania reported five injured players.

The two sides were due to meet in Morocco on Monday, 5 October, but the fixture was called off following discussions between the two teams and Tanzania manager Miguel Gamondi.

The Taifa Stars’ medical staff had declared five members of the squad unavailable because of injury. After consulting with Gamondi, the relevant parties agreed that the match should not go ahead.

The cancellation disrupts Morocco’s preparations for the November qualifiers. The Lionceaux de l’Atlas had planned to use the fixture as their final opportunity to test players and make tactical adjustments before competitive matches begin.

Morocco’s only match during the October international window was a 1-1 draw against Mali. The team had been due to face Tanzania afterwards, giving the coaching staff another chance to assess the squad and draw conclusions from the training camp.

Unless another fixture is arranged before the qualifiers, the draw with Mali will be Morocco U23s’ only preparation match before their official campaign begins next month.